The Lamented Lullaby
by Iron Reprieve
Summary: Even when the darkness fills us with fear, there will always be someone to take our hand. Rated for violent amount of fluff, NarutoxNatsuhi if you squint, now a twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

**Sorry guys, even though I said I'd be away the ideas never stop coming. ((Annoyed))**

**This is an early mother's day present to you all! Since my time will be eaten up later this month and the month after....**

**This is a oneshot concerning Natsuhi, (Someone gave me the idea, whether they realized it or not; you know who you are!) **

**I've decided to take pity on Natsuhi, though she is filler, her character needs the proper respect it deserves. Edit: Damn straight!**

**Important Note: I do not own Naruto. Nor the wonderful song. The Kish owns everything. **

* * *

The Devil's Ravine is not exactly the nicest of places to ever visit. Toxic fumes continually rise from the great land depression, creating a natural barrier around Bear country; yet at the same time, the barrier acts as a double-edged sword. Though the poisonous gases do an excellent job at keeping bandits and highwaymen at bay, there are also a number of health hazards acciocated with the miasmic mists. As such, respirator masks are required to even get near the stuff since prolonged exposure could prove well...Let us just say, The Valley of Death is a rather fitting nickname.

_'I knew it was a good idea to bring an extra mask along...' _Natsuhi thought, as she removed the mask that she had placed on Naruto, earlier that day.

_'Good thing too...'_ She mused as she laid the blonde onto her bed, _'I wasn't exactly expecting company.'_

After covering him up, Natsuhi turned her attention to the prize in her pocket. _'I should really hide this thing...'_ She said, as she produced a glowing rock from the inner folds of her shorts.

As she turned to leave the cavern, something caught her ear, in the form of a restless Naruto. Returning to his bedside, Natsuhi inspected the figeting blonde, checking his temperature as she did so.

_'Well, he doesn't have a fever...so a nightmare perhaps?'_

"No!" The older kuniochi jumped at this, "Don't leave..." Naruto cried out, as his hand quickly latched on to her wrist.

_'Wow, even in his sleep his reflexes are this keen?'_ Natsuhi then mentally slapped herself remembering that Naruto is a shinobi as well. _'He must be around Sumaru's age...'_

"N-no...." Naruto stammered, as his eyes clenched tightly, desperately trying hold in his imprisoned tears. "Don't go..."

Hearing the blond's words stirred a sense of regret in Natsuhi. It was unshakeable, feelings of the past were always constantly dredged up by a certain event or another, but of all times why now? Tossing those thoughts aside Natsuhi positioned her on the edge of the bed and cradled the boy in her lap.

"Shhh...ssh...it will be alright." The rosette spoke softly, as she tried to reassure the blonde as she began stroking his whisker marks unconsciously. To her dismay, Naruto's grief ridden cries and pleads only intensified, as warmth enveloped his body

_'It must be a really bad dream for him to react so...unlike the unpredictable opponent I faced, today.'_ She thought warily as she recalled the fight between her and the blond. _'Clever boy, I'd never would've guessed that those clones were only a distraction while he henged himself amongst the rocks, waiting for the most opportune time to strike.'_

"No..."

_'What to do...?'_ Natsuhi thought, with a creased brow. _'Maybe....I'm just not cut out for this...'_ She sighed sadly, as past memories flooded her mind; some good, some bad, some more or less in between. One of these memories was a bittersweet reminder of how much time she had lost, yet the same memory held a special place in her heart and always would. Natsuhi allowed herself a silent smile as she formed an idea.

_'It's definitely worth a try....'_ She mused, as she began to hum melodiously, _'Now, how did it go? As if I could_ _ever forget.'_

"Natsuhiboshi naze akai?  
Yuube kanashii yume wo miita..."

Naruto's struggling lessened as Natsuhi continued to sing...

"Naite hanashita  
Akai me yo..."

Naruto pleas softened into faint whimpers._ 'I can't believe it's working...'_

"Natsuhiboshi naze mayou?  
Kieta warashi wo sagashiteru..."

The blonde quieted down completely...

Dakara kanashii yume wo miru."

Natsuhi kept singing the same stanza again and again, her voice growing softer each time. How much time has passed? No one can say really; she stopped only once during her song, to examine the snoring shinobi in her lap, before finishing her verse completely.

Carefully, Natsuhi slid out from under the blonde and cushioned his head with a nearby pillow. After re-tucking Naruto in she turned to leave only to receive her biggest surprise of the night.

"Thanks....Kaachan-'ttebayo..."

Natsuhi's eyes widened with realisation, before she turned heel to exit the cavern. She smiled softy as she quickly hurried to the exit, her vision became more and more blurred with each and every step she took.

_'If only for just one night...' _Little did Natsuhi know, that night is tonight.

**

* * *

**

**Translation:**

Summer star why are you red?  
Last night I had a sad dream.  
Crying as I talked  
Oh, red eyes.

Summer star, why are you lost?  
You are searching for we, who disappeared.  
That's why I have sad dreams.

* * *

**Well, a lullaby is just another way to say goodbye, if one thinks about it.... **

**Though in this case goodbye is forever, it seems....**

**Whether or not Natsuhi channeled her feelings for Sumaru to Naruto or she just wanted to comfort the blonde as well as herself is really up for interpretation, (Hint: There's no wrong answer.)**

**Though...it does make you wonder what exactly happened in that cave....((Chases ecchi thoughts away))**

**Oh, you guys may link this shot to DITS, though honestly it probably will not add anything to the story. Edit: Yeah right, in your face former past self!**

**Thanks again, Meta-Z.**

**Later...**

**-IR**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there! As motioned in my profile I was planning to add something a bit more to make this cohesive with DITS so here it is. Don't think that it's going to be all about that though; I felt that Natsuhi needed her swan chapter and this is the result. XD If anything I hope this will give some type of closure for her.**

**Please be sure to read the end notes, I promise they'll be worth your time.**

**Important note: I do not own Naruto, yatta, yatta, yatta….**

* * *

The brisk air flew all around her, blowing the billowing smoke and dust away from the remains of the training room. Cinders and ashes washed over her form, yet the she could not feel their heat, even more so, as the proud flames began to engulf her former body, consuming the dull husk without any regrets or second thoughts.

Natsuhi paid little attention to this as she continued to watch over her son from a short distance. A small sigh escaped from the woman; her gentle lips twitching into a ghost of a smile.

"Sumaru…"

* * *

_"Kaachan," Sumaru asked with his head in his mother's lap, "what's that star up there?" __Natsuhi followed to where her son's finger landed and smiled._

_"That red star is Natsuhiboshi, Sumaru, your guardian star."_

_"Guardian star?"_

_"That's right, everyone has one that watches over them." _

_Sumaru frowned at this. __"Why do I need a star to watch over me, I have both you Kaasan and Tousan." Sumaru said as he snuggled into his mother's kimono. Natsuhi face held a guilty smile at this, and played with her ornamental star necklace._

* * *

"Those were such idyllic times.."

Hearing a sudden commotion, Natsuhi glanced over her shoulder, and observed with mild amusement as a brunette launched some hapless blond boy off her with a mighty kick, sending him sailing into the sky.

* * *

"…_.DATTEBAYO!" Naruto exclaimed happily, as he was getting his second wind. With Naruto's help there was no way in hell she would lose to this tyrant, not after everything this poser had done to the Star village. Akahoshi just went too far._

_He used the people of this land, to obtain the star's power to become even greater than the Five Great Elemental nations?_

___There's no way she could allow the village to be manipulated by some power-hungry dicator, even if it proved beneficial to the village. _No, there's enough millitary unrest with the Big Five as it is. Upsetting that balance would only lead to large scale attacks on their humble village. Some say that hindsight is 20/20, if that's true then foresight must be blind.

_Natsuhi glanced in Naruto's direction and could the inflamed resolve that gleamed in his eyes, and knew it was time._

_Naruto kicked himself off the ground and into the air, unknowingly capturing a startled gaze from a certain freckled girl in the process. Natsuhi quirked an eyebrow at the girl's odd behavior, but she quickly came to a conclusion and smiled at her. _

"_Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"_

_As Naruto said this, he and his clone started to be gather charka that began to spiral in one another's hands._

"_Why!?" Growled Akahoshi, as he readied his Kujaku Beast for the offensive as Natsuhi and Naruto flew towards him. Not willing to give in just yet, Akahoshi's amethyst dragon unleashed its enthusiastic torrent._

"_Rasengan!" Naruto roared. "Come on!" He plowed through the fire, through the flames and through dragon's gaping jaws to finally meet his mark; Akahoshi's chest!_

_Akahoshi let out a pained, "Ggaaahhhh!"_

_The earth trembled as the star reacted violently with Naruto's jutsu thus shattering it; leaving a horrible explosion in its wake. Natsuhi watched in morbid fascination as Naruto was ripped away from her grip, and swept away into the vortex of chakra.__Without hesitation, Natsuhi plunged herself into the rotating plume of dust and debris after the blond. Despite the poor visibility she managed to grab the scruff Naruto's jacket, pulling the semi-concious boy from the infernal whirlpool. _

_"I'll guide you out of here, I can still do that much for you at least..."_

_As she and Naruto emerged from the wreckage, her eyes landed on the same girl from before; her mouth still agaped in awe. Natsuhi paused in mid-flight for a moment, and gave a once over to the orange bundle in her arms and smiled. Quickly enough that smile turned into a downright mischievous one!_

_"Well, I did say that I'd guide you...However you land is entirely up to you."_

_

* * *

_

Natsuhi almost laughed as the boy landed and 'poofed' away. "Poor girl, so it was a bunshin afterall." Natsuhi continued to watch the scene until the medics arrived for Sumaru, as she made a move to follow them her arm began to flicker in and out of existence.

"Looks like the jutsu is starting to wear off." As she said this more of her body moved from one plane and into another.

The rosette held in small sigh and looked up into the dusky sky and spotted a familiar red star, _'Why do I need a star...I have...you Kaasan...'_

"That's right Sumaru, Is will always watch ov.." Light fell quickly passing through Natsuhi making her all but vanish from sight, of the world around her.

"You."

* * *

**Heh... seems lik--**

"**Thank you so much for the lovely story Reprieve-kun."**

**No problem, it was long overdue anyway.**

"**I really do appreciate it."**

**So Natsuhi where are you going? Is there a light to go to or how--? What th-?**

**((Hugs)) "Well…eheh, now that would be telling now wouldn't it?"**

**I guess…**

**"Don't worry,** **you'll find out soon enough."**

**Wait what!?**

"**Take care."**

**Damn it…. **

**T_T**

**Heh, by far the Star village arc is my all time favorite. It has Nasuhi, Hokuto and Tenten so ya! (Major fun there! =D)**

**Also the arc was probably the saddest I've seen. Not everyone has a daemon within them or has had their entire family massacred, but most people have had a mother or mother like figure… **

**These episodes had a very emotional impact, that was pretty much overlooked since well it's filler after all…**

**I've been touched. (Inappropriately I might add.)**

**So I would like for you guys to think of any occurrences that can even size up and relates to a wider spectrum of human emotion such as this arc has done. Check shippuden as well, I doubt there's anything in even in canon that's on a 'real' level such as this.**

**Review/Thoughts/Comments, go for it!**

**-IR**


End file.
